‘Quintessential Public Servant’ Hanley Dies at 69; Longtime City Negotiator

“They’ve got me working like a horse,” was Jim Hanley’s frequent opening response when asked how he was doing.

It didn’t matter whether the “they” in question was the administration of David Dinkins or Rudy Giuliani or Michael Bloomberg, all of whom he served as Labor Commissioner for nearly all of the 24-year period in which they were the city’s Mayors. And Mr. Hanley, who died at age 69 Dec. 6 after a lengthy illness, wasn’t complaining. To the contrary, he seemed to thrive on the bargaining give-and-take with municipal-union leaders, and on being able to convince his superiors of the right point at which to stop haggling and make a deal.